


Shall We Dance?

by Noah_Northstar



Category: Night at the Museum (Movies)
Genre: Erica Daley (mentioned), Fluff, M/M, Sacagawea (mentioned), Songfic, civil war mannquins (mentioned)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:27:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27092806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Noah_Northstar/pseuds/Noah_Northstar
Summary: When a new exhibit arrives at the museum, Ahkmenrah wants to learn how to dance.
Relationships: Ahkmenrah/Larry Daley, Jedediah/Octavius (Night at the Museum)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 87





	Shall We Dance?

**Author's Note:**

> Please be nice to me! This is my first fic ever. Shall We Dance? song is from The King and I by Rogers and Hammerstein.
> 
> Blah, blah, I don't own either NatM or The King and I.

Patting himself on the back for only needing an hour to calm down the newly awoken 1860s fashion exhibit (and the civil war guys), Larry Daley made his usual rounds of the museum, and finally found himself in the empty atrium, letting himself fall into the chair behind the desk, closing his eyes for just a moment.

Orchestral music floated in from somewhere in the museum; a welcoming party for the new exhibit.

Larry smiled to himself, the excitement from the civil war mannequins when they had heard about the new exhibit on European and American fashion in the 1860s had reminded him of the excitement he and his classmates had back when he’d been in highschool.

Allowing himself a little nostalgia, Larry thought back to his first dance with Erica.

_We've just been introduced_ _  
I do not know you well  
But when the music started  
Something drew me to your side_  
  


There had been something about her (or so he’d thought at the time, looking back on it now, it was clear they didn’t make a very good couple, but at the time it seemed like right thing)

  
_So many men and girls  
Are in each other's arms  
It made me think we might be  
Similarly occupied_   
  


While they hadn’t made a good couple, Erica had certainly made a good dance partner. Offhandedly Larry wondered if she went to dances with Don. Not that he missed dancing or anything…!

Then again, Erica _had_ been a good dancer. His thoughts began to wander. Did Ahkmenrah know how to dance?

Even if the pharaoh did know how to dance, it’s not like he would want to dance with Larry. He probably had a girl out there somewhere, probably either in another museum or long gone. That he would not appreciate Larry bringing up. Nursing a crush wasn’t fun.

So Larry turned his thoughts back to his first dance with Erica.

_Shall we dance?_ _  
On a bright cloud of music, shall we fly?  
Shall we dance?  
Shall we then say "Goodnight" and mean "Goodbye"?_  
  


Larry grinned to himself, remembering trying to make a quick goodbye and slip out of the dance early, but getting pulled back in for one more dance.

Seeing as everyone else was elsewhere, he got up and tried to remember some of the dances he’d had to learn in gym class (seriously, why had _dancing_ been part of gym class?*)

  
_Or perchance  
When the last little star has left the sky  
Shall we still be together  
With our arms around each other  
And shall you be my new romance?  
On the clear understanding  
That this kind of thing can happen  
Shall we dance?  
Shall we dance?  
Shall we dance?_   
  


With no one watching and the whole of the empty atrium to himself, Larry found himself dancing around to the lively music coming from the other room.

Suddenly he noticed someone leaning in the doorway.

“Why’d you stop? You dance beautifully! You may continue,” Ahkmenrah waved his hand at a startled Larry.

“I didn’t see you there, Ahk,” Larry looked away to hide the blush rising in his cheeks. “I don’t really dance anymore, it’s, I mean, not in front of other people, you see, I just, well-” He rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding eye contact.

Ahkmenrah didn’t seem to notice Larry’s embarrassment, walking towards the night guard.

“The new exhibit is getting along quite,” Larry noticed a smile in his voice even though he was still pointedly _not_ looking at the pharaoh, “ _civilly_ , with the American Civil War mannequins.”

Finally having nowhere else to look, Larry finally met Ahkmenrah’s eyes. The pharaoh continued as if he didn’t notice, shuffling his own feet a little, his usual carefully poised regal mannerisms dropping. “I was actually hoping to learn the dance, but they all had already paired off…”

Raising an eyebrow, Larry let out a nervous chuckle. “So why are you here talking to me?”

The pharaoh shuffled his feet again, seeming to find them very interesting all of a sudden, mumbling something that Larry didn’t catch.

“Ahk, I didn’t catch that.” Forgetting his own embarrassment, Larry put his hand on Ahkmenrah’s shoulder.

The pharaoh suddenly frowned and looked him in the eyes with a seriousness that was usually reserved for getting the others to behave.

“But you _do_ dance, I saw you dancing with multiple women at the gala last month!” Larry’s eyebrows knit together in confusion.

“Ahk, those women are museum patrons. And they already knew how to dance. Most people don’t just… go and dance like that with strangers. Usually you dance with…”

Larry struggled to find the right words. Dancing was a personal, even intimate thing, at least the dancing that Ahk was asking him about. “…usually you dance with, uh, with a _very_ good friend.” He hoped that Ahk would catch the meaning between his words.

The pharaoh seemed to miss Larry’s implication, brightening. “Good! Then we will dance together! You can show me!”

Ahkmenrah held out his hands, face bright with an excitement that Larry had never been able to say no to. “Come on, teach, teach, teach!”

Sighing inwardly and hoping his reddening face wasn’t too obvious, Larry took the pharaoh’s hands in his own. “Well, it's quite simple, the polka. You, uh, you just have to count. See? Watch my feet. One, two, three. And, one, two, three and one, two, three and-”

  
_Shall we dance?_  
  
“One, two, three and?” Ahkmenrah looked at him, bouncing his feet.

Larry smiled and slowly started to lead the pharaoh to the upbeat orchestral music, taking the pharaoh’s hands in his own.  
  
 _On a bright cloud of music, shall we fly?_  
  
“One, two, three and?” Larry nodded again in encouragement to the questioning look on Ahkmenrah’s face, secretly enjoying the physical closeness.  
  
 _Shall we dance?_  
  
After a few minutes, the pharaoh had begun to pick up the basics and was gaining confidence, grinning madly at Larry and definitely _not_ making his heart race. “One, two, three and!”  
  
 _Shall we then say "Goodnight" and mean "Goodbye"?_  
  
“One, two, three and!” Both smiling wildly, it was moments like this that made Larry wish the night wouldn’t end.  
  
 _Or perchance_

_When the last little star has left the sky_

_Shall we still be together_ _  
With our arms around each other  
And shall you be my new_-

The two whirled around the room, carefree, night guard uniform and pharaoh’s cape flying out behind them.

_romance?_

_On the clear understanding_ _  
That this kind of thing can happen  
  
_

Eyes locked, Larry wasn’t aware of anything else in the room. Everything was perfect.

  
_Shall we dance?  
Shall we dance?  
Shall we dance?_  
  
Suddenly there was dissonance between the two men’s count.

  
“One, two, three and one, two, three and-” / “One, two, three, one, two, three-”

Something was off. Ahkmenrah frowned.

“One, two, three and one, two, three and-” / “One, two... Something’s wrong!”  
  
The pharaoh smacked his head. “I know, I know, I forgot ‘and’!”

“Next time I'll remember!” He gave Larry another smile. Someone must have messed with the thermostat, because Larry was _definitely_ feeling warmer.  
  
With an awkward cough, Larry nodded to Ahkmenrah and the two started to count again, this time together.

  
“One, two, three and one, two, three and, one, two, three and one, two, three and-”  
  
“You’re doing great!” The pharaoh was a fast learner, easily picking up the steps the night guard was demonstrating.  
  
Ahkmenrah was laughing with excitement, “Splendid! Splendid! I can dance!”  
  


Without warning, the pharaoh tripped on his feet, catching himself, face burning in embarrassment. “You threw me off count!”

“Hey, don’t worry! It took me forever to learn. You’re doing fine!” The pharaoh smiled shyly and caught his gaze once more.

Larry reached his hands out to take Ahk’s again, trying very hard to ignore the butterflies the other man’s touch was giving him.

  
“We’ll just pick it up here, and one, two, three and one, two, three and, one, two, three and-”  
  
Ahkmenrah stopped, this time of his own accord, frowning at Larry. “This dance is not right!”  
  
Confused, Larry raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean? You’re doing amazing!”  
  


Ahkmenrah shook his head, taking his hands from Larry’s and pointing to the other room.

  
“No, no! Not the way I saw the Europeans dancing tonight!”  
  
“Yes, it was! It was just like that!” Larry frowned, searching his brain for what the difference could be. Perhaps they had started a different dance after he had left the party to make his rounds?  
  
The pharaoh swished his cape with a huff, turning back to the confused night guard.

“Not holding two hands, like this!” He grabbed Larry’s hands and held them up before releasing them.

Larry stared at him incredulously as the metaphorical lightbulb slowly went off over his head. _Oh. Like that._  
  
“No. As a matter of fact-” Larry breathed as Ahkmenrah stepped closer, their eyes locked.  
  
The pharaoh gently reached out, putting his right hand on Larry’s waist, taking Larry’s right hand in his left. “It was… like this.”

_Did… did this mean Ahk liked him back?_

Larry was certain his face was completely flushed, but he didn’t care.

Ahkmenrah smiled softly at him. “Now is this correct?”  
  
Larry could feel his own heartbeat pounding. “Yes,” he breathed.  
  
Smiling wildly, the pharaoh gave a nod to go, “Come! Let’s dance.”

The pair whirled and hopped around the room, oblivious to the anyone that may or may not have been watching from the railing of the second floor.

After what felt like forever and barely a moment, the music came to and end, the pharaoh’s hands unexpectedly letting go, and Larry found himself spinning with the extra momentum into the wall.

Both out of breath, the night guard and the pharaoh stared at each other, not moving for a moment.

His regal composure regained, Ahkmenrah started walking toward where Larry had his hand on the wall, catching his breath.

Feeling awkward from the determined stare Ahkmenrah was holding him with, Larry let out a nervous laugh. “Now you can polka!”

He looked away, feeling somehow exposed at the pharaoh’s unblinking stare, fiddling with the zipper on his uniform. Ahkmenrah had stopped in front of him, but didn’t say anything.

Still waiting for the pharaoh to say something, curiosity got the better of him. “Soooo… why did you want to learn? Impressed by one of the new exhibits?”

Ahkmenrah shook his head. “I was impressed by their dancing, but none of them caught my eye. To be truthful,” he looked away from Larry, biting his lip. “Some of them _did_ want to dance with me, but…” he trailed off.

“But?” Did he dare hope?

“I do not desire to dance with them. I wanted to dance with you, Mr. Daley, Guardian of Brooklyn.”

Larry didn’t remember Ahkmenrah had stepping closer, but now he was only a few inches from the night guard’s face. Larry could feel his breath on his own face for a second before the pharaoh threw his arms around his neck and was kissing him soundly.

He blinked a moment before kissing back, winding his own arms around the pharaoh’s waist.

Ahkmenrah pulled away for air but kept a hand in Larry’s hair. “Guardian of Brooklyn, would you do me the honor of becoming the consort of the Pharaoh?” His tone was serious, but his eyes were playful.

Larry pretended to consider the offer. “Hmm… I dunno, Would his girlfriend mind?”

Ahkmenrah raised an eyebrow. “Larry…? I don’t…? I’m gay.”

The night guard gave a teasing smile. “Oh, well in that case…” He leaned forward and the pharaoh met him halfway for another kiss.

…

“Perhaps we should give the polka a try.”

Octavius and Jedediah were seated under the second floor railing.

The cowboy grinned. “Yeah. Maybe we should.” He leaned over to give the Roman general a peck on the cheek before getting up and offering a hand to help him up. “We also gotta tell Sac she won the bet!”

**Author's Note:**

> *True story, I had to learn some dancing in gym class in school. What was up with that?


End file.
